Saturday, February 02, 2008

Gencler take first leg advantage in Cup quarterfinal

Stuck at work today (ie at home) and unable to get out to a bar to watch the match. Oh well, guess I'll just have to listen to the radio... Except no one is broadcasting the match. Argh. I should be angry, but I'm so used to being stuffed around by those who organise football in this country that all I do is shrug my shoulders. I'm also quietly blaming myself for letting my Lig TV subscription lapse.

Turkish Cup
Quarterfinal first leg
Adana Demirspor 0 - 1 Genclerbirligi

We are certainly in the drivers seat for this one. The return leg is to be played sometime later this month.

More details soon once the Anatolian news agency gets around to giving a three-line report.

EDIT: Sunday.

Well the reports are in the Sunday papers and, as I guessed, they are less than exhaustive. Let me translate the entire Hurriyet report.

Genclerbirligi away defeated Adana Demirspor in the first leg of the (insert sponsor's name) Turkish Cup quarterfinal. In the 67th minute in an attack down the right Burhan found Mehmet Cakir in the penalty box who placed his shot: 1-0. In the 88th minute Levent took good control of a ball that the Genclerbirligi defence had failed to clear, he kicked it hard onto the post and the ball went out.

That was it. The entire report. Meanwhile for the other quarterfinal match that took place on Saturday namely the Besiktas - Rize match Hurriyet gave us the following.

1 match report
2 columnists musing
3 stories based on comments from players/officials
1 how did the referees go report
1 story on Rize hosts lunch for a Besiktas official
1 story on Besiktas' Bobo sporting a new hair cut
1 report on how there were lots of cards in the second half
1 story on how the team doctor had to look after a kid who had been hit in the head with the ball from a wayward kick
1 backgrounder on how Besiktas haven't done well recently against Rize
1 story on why Rize goalkeeper Leandro didn't play (his dad died).
1 report on how Trabzon fans came to support Rize

This list of stories is longer than the bloody report they gave of the only other match that was played on Saturday. Bloody pathetic.

5 comments:

  1. Hey Oz, never mind the bloody Gencler report !

    The burning question is..... how is that poor little child doing after being hit by the ball (I bet it was that animal who plays at the back for Besik...spit...tas and wears the captain's armband) who did the dastardly deed !!

    I await your updated prognosis !!

    By the way, Gencler for the Cup yessss !!!

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  2. The kid was fine after being treated, although psychologically he is probably scarred for life. As for who kicked it, Hurriyet says it was Ibrahim Kas, but knowing Hurriyet it could be anyone.

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  3. By the way .... again.... if I was a Trabzon supporter I too would support Rize !!

    Ersun Yanal's days must surely be numbered, and he could possibly be the 6th Gencler coach before the season's out and surely that would be a World Record and qualify for the Guinness Book of Records ??!!

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  4. Anonymous11:02 pm

    Oz Kanka, did you ever find out what the Turkish record was for number of coaches in a season?

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  5. No. But I have sent in a question to "The Knowledge" section of the Guardian.

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